The
bill must pass the Senate and be signed by President Joe Biden
before becoming law. It is uncertain whether there will be
enough time in the Senate schedule for it to be voted on this
year.
The bill, passed by voice vote in the House after the chamber
suspended usual voting rules on the measure, would ban the
imports 90 days after enactment, subject to the waivers.
The House bill contains waivers allowing the import of
low-enriched uranium from Russia if the U.S. energy secretary
determines there is no alternative source available for
operation of a nuclear reactor or a U.S. nuclear energy company,
or if the shipments are in the national interest.
"The risks of continuing this dependence on Russia for our
nuclear fuels are simply too great," said Republican
Representative Cathy McMorris Rodgers before the vote. "It's
weakening America's nuclear fuel infrastructure, which has
declined significantly because of reliance on these cheap
fuels."
The United States banned imports of Russia oil after the
invasion of Ukraine last year and imposed a price cap with other
Western countries on sea-borne exports of its crude and oil
products, but it has not banned imports of its uranium.
U.S. nuclear power plants imported about 12% of their uranium
from Russia in 2022, compared to 27% from Canada and 25% from
Kazakhstan, according to the U.S. Energy Information
Administration. The United States was the source of about 5% of
uranium used domestically that year, the EIA said.
Allowed imports of Russian uranium under the waiver would be
gradually reduced to 459 metric tons in 2027 from about 476.5
tons in 2024.
(Reporting by Timothy Gardner; Editing by Stephen Coates and
Sandra Maler)
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